I sort of backed into this UDS stuff, with help from son...been smoking meat for years, mostly brisket and have helped a friend to has walk-in and sells his stuff here in gray market, so am not complete stranger to smoking.

Was going to build stone smoker in backyard, but this is way easier.

Thanks for the above excellent advice and information.

I built small, 30 gal version, 3 .75" vents and one .75 ball valve. I over did some things on purpose.

Chimney is near 2.5 inch in diameter with damper.

Have not been able to post pic but will, I figure it out.

The question...I figured to put thermometer in top, but most are in barrel...heat rises, so why not stick it in top and factor in temp diff at center area? Besides, seems removing it will keep it going longer...

Thanks.
FYI, I bought midsized Weber to use top, but wanted more height, so went with SS salad bowl with chimney top center. Bowl is 22 inches in diameter, and used three ss bolts to stabilize in breezes.

BobBill, welcome to the ring. Looking forward to seeing some pics of your cooks.
By placing a 12" turkey therm 1" under the grate you are reading actual grate temps. Being under the grate also allows you to remove the grate without disturbing the therm.
I hope this helps. _________________Always remember slow and steady wins the race.
Hybrid Cooker

I have not fired it up yet as the snow and ice has messed up plans. I have a new drum and forgot to burn or scour inside to remove the anti rust coating...I torched it and saw not change, but learned the stuff is there, soooo

And then there is the thermometer which I was going to stick on the top, but am going with the advice here and sticking as indicated in side of barrel and get the turkey thingy later.

So I read the entire thread in the Cookers Sticky forum on the UDS and have lurked this forum for a while. It's time for me to get to this build, so I need to get a drum. Once I get that part, then the rest should be easy with all of the info on here.

I checked a local sandblasting place, and they quoted me $80 for sandblasting a 55 gallon steel drum, which isn't in the budget, so I'll be doing this myself. Is the best method to just get a really hot fire and then some coarse sandpaper and go to work on it? Any other tips for cleaning it up and getting it ready?

I found a few options for a steel drum on craigslist. Which of these looks best? They are both from the same place.